Analysis Of The Street By Ann Petry

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Page 1 of 3 ZOOM In the beginning of The Street (1946), written by Ann Petry, the narrator describes the relationship between the setting and the numerous people involved. The main character, Lutie Johnson is seen struggling against nature. Petry shows this relationship between Johnson and the city setting through imagery, personification, specific detail, and figurative language. The author, Ann Petry uses imagery all throughout this excerpt to relate the relationship between the environment and the people, more specifically Lutie Johnson. One example of imagery found in the passage is located in the very first paragraph when describing the wind. “It rattled the tops of garbage cans, sucked window shades out through the top of …show more content…

The reader should see now how violent the wind has gotten and how that affects all of the people in the area. Then, the author relates the wind more specifically to Lutie Johnson. “The wind lifted Lutie Johnson’s hair away from the back of her neck so that she felt suddenly naked and bald...She shivered as the cold fingers of the wind touched the back of her neck, explored the sides of her head” (Petry 35-40). As Lutie Johnson walks through the city, the reader should notice how vulnerable and exposed the wind is making her feel. The author also uses specific detail to get her points across throughout the entire passage. She introduces the story saying, “There was a cold November wind blowing through 116th Street” (Petry 1). This lets the reader know that the story is set somewhere in New York City, which is usually very busy with many people in a rush off to somewhere. Another quote that supports my previous statement is found in lines 10 through 15. “It found every scrap of paper along the street— theater throwaways, announcements of dances and lodge meetings, the heavy waxed paper that loaves of bread had been wrapped in, the thinner waxed paper that had enclosed sandwiches, old envelopes, newspapers...” (Petry 10-15). The story is set in some borough of New York City, most likely near theaters and vendors and/or restaurants. In the last two paragraphs of the passage, Johnson is standing in front of some sign. “...it had been there for a long time because its original coat of white paint was streaked with rust where years of rain and snow had finally eaten the paint off down to the metal and the metal had slowly rusted, making a dark red stain like blood...She read it rapidly. Three rooms, steam heat, parquet floors, respectable tenants” (Petry 51-61). This quote reveals to the audience that Johnson is searching for an apartment to live in. This apartment has obviously been available for a while,

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